Magnum Opus
by Destinies Entwined
Summary: It all starts with a single note. A chord struck, blooming into simple counterpoint. And as the notes proliferate, delicate harmonies unfurl, giving way to rich and emotional tides in the form of motifs and melodies. The subtle pulse of a singular beat catches the spirit, and builds into an incessant thrum. Layer upon layer, moment by moment, that lone note blossoms into a symphony
1. Fanfare & Prelude

"Magnum Opus"

 _It all starts with a single note. A chord struck, blooming into simple counterpoint. And as the notes proliferate, delicate harmonies unfurl, giving way to rich and emotional tides in the form of motifs and melodies. The subtle pulse of a singular beat catches the spirit, and builds into an incessant thrum. Layer upon layer, moment by moment, that lone note blossoms into a symphony, sending a heart soaring, setting a soul ablaze._

Chapter One: Fanfare/Prelude

 _Fanfare: A short tune, a flourish, usually played on trumpets; an ostentatious display._  
 _Prelude: A short piece intended to be played as an introduction._

After having narrowly defeating the witch Haggar, staving off her surprise attack at Oriande, two exhausted galactic royals found themselves pondering everything that had brought them to this point: Two once-sworn enemies, now allies and-dare they utter the word- _friends_. And even more disconcerting, neither of them could shake the growing fondness and familiarity between them. There in the darkness, they lay in their respective chambers in the Castle of Lions, revisiting moments that had spurred their hearts and minds closer to each other, and now sparked something undeniable between them...

It had all begun with four words.

Lotor had single handedly saved innumerable lives and civilizations, entering the scene with his usual bravado. And after declaring his wish to parlay with the allied forces fighting the Galra Empire, he went along willingly in their precautionary measures. Despite Allura's numerous doubts, she felt his current request was-at least-worth giving a listen.

The Galran prince had known _of_ her, having heard stories about his parents before their fall and whispers of people across the universe. When he found out she was alive as he negotiated boarding their ship, there appeared a glimmer of hope: he could further pursue knowledge of Altean alchemy. There was a singular person in the entire universe who _might_ just understand, and be able to help him.

 _I will do everything it takes, patiently abide by their rules and give them everything I have, in order to gain their trust and alliance. They should eventually listen to reason._

The Voltron team had taken Lotor aboard tentatively as their prisoner. He disembarked from his craft and stood before the black, blue and yellow paladins. He was promptly cuffed and taken to a holding cell deep within the ship.

A mere few minutes passed before an elevator descended into the vast chamber.

It was then that he finally saw her.

The princess approached, accompanied by the petite green paladin.

And now she stood before him, her silvery white hair and distinctly Altean features echoing his own. It made his breath catch to think that _the_ last royal Altean, and one of the last remaining Alteans in the universe, could-if he played his cards right-possibly become his greatest ally. The silver-haired prince was overwhelmed. A warm sizzle slid up his spine and he drew a slow breath to steady himself. But now, his determination was suddenly stronger than ever, reinforcing the nostaligic yearning in his heart.

The ethereal Altean stared righteous daggers at him. Lotor steeled himself. Allura had a strong energy about her. She carried herself with grace and beauty, but yet also with a steadfastness and ferocity that sparked his curiosity.

"I am Princess Allura of Altea, daughter of King Alfor. Your father, Zarkon, destroyed my planet and ultimately my people ten thousand years ago. You are a ruler of an empire that has oppressed trillions of sentient beings across the known universe. And now you wish to have a _'discussion',_ as you put it, with myself and the rest of the Alliance."

Her righteous anger was radiant. The lilt in her voice, her Altean accent, was rich and captivating to his ears. He thought and felt so many things all at once, and something clicked into place. He took the harsh truths and accusatory tone, merely looking her in the eye, keeping his whole demeanor neutral.

"And what do you have to say for yourself, Prince Lotor?"

His only answer, a simple truth.

"I wish to help."

She raised a disbelieving brow at his declaration.

"And what _kind_ of help are you offering?" she countered.

"Intelligence information regarding Galra operations, so that you can continue taking back the universe from the hands of Zarkon's tyranny."

He took in the various reactions of the paladins. Allura and the black paladin seemed cautiously receptive, but the other three obviously did not trust him.

"He's going to send us to our deaths, Allura," Lance declared. "Don't listen to him."

"I beg to differ," he retorted. "I will give you what you ask for, and if something doesn't check out, feel free to take my life."

He gestured with open arms, reinforcing that he meant every word of it.

The quintet passed looks between each other, unsure of how to proceed.

Shiro and Allura seemingly were on the same wavelength. Shiro nodded. Allura soughed a breath.

"Give us a couple of simple things to start with then..."

Allura had been reluctant to trust the son of the oppressor, but with each mission, she further questioned her misgivings. Her heart-reluctant to give up the idea that he was once again toying with them-clung to the inkling that, at best, he may be using them for his own selfish gain, even if their current goals coincided. In every conversation that followed a successful mission, the half-blood prince relentlessly insisted that his intentions were good. And the Princess, having strong magic and intuition, could read the honesty in his energy. It baffled her, and her heart, broken by the violence of millennia-old empire, was not yet prepared to reconcile with the evidence presented. Despite his insistence, her attitude was generally cool and staid. Even after their first attempt to save Commander Holt.

 _There is too much at stake for me to be taken off guard. As much as I_ want _to trust him, too many people, too many planets and civilizations are reliant on my discernment._

Now Zarkon was bargaining for his seemingly wayward son. She knew deep down that it would likely be sentencing Lotor to his death, but she was unsure of any other way to proceed. Still, the princess considered the magnitude of the help he had provided so far, and what the cost of losing that inside information would be.

She wasn't truly moved until the moment he declared to her, urgent and eager, the hope above of all hopes which her heart yearned for since the passing of her father and the destruction of her planet:

 _"Princess...Imagine it: A new generation that could lift the mantle of peace. The children of King Alfor and Emperor Zarkon-you and I-a royal alliance between Altean and Galra."_

Peace for the entire universe, ushering in a new era that harkened back to the days of her father; it was her heart's ultimate desire. The shock rocked her body as his words sunk in. They may have been born on opposing sides, but they _actually_ wanted the same thing. It took her aback and shed a new light on her prisoner.

After further dissent from the paladins, they discontinued the meeting and took a rest. Everyone was emotionally and physically exhausted. As much as she hated the idea of putting any trust in a former enemy, she knew that his proposal was the best shot they had achieving their goals.

She fell asleep, imagining a peaceful future and her chest grew light with hope.

Lotor had let his eyes slide shut and began to doze off as he sat alone in his holding chamber. His thoughts wandered to Allura. The look of pure awe lit her face as he proposed their alliance, advocating his vision of peace renewed. He knew, undoubtedly, that she, too, wanted the same.

They had only been an arms length apart, separated by the translucent barrier. But he was able to finally command her attention and convey his sincerity. Those eyes shimmered like pools, and he felt something shift within him. He wanted to talk more with her, without the interruption of the other paladins. But, they were protective to a fault, and it prevented him from having more detailed conversations that he could only have with the Altean princess.

 _I will eventually get my chance to pick her brain about Altean alchemy. Patience is essential. I'll worry about it after we deal with my father...and what to do about his inevitable double-cross?_

A sudden sound pulled him back to consciousness, when he realized someone approached.

 _The Black Paladin? What could he want?_

Shiro approached and gave him the rundown of his plan.

"Here. Take this and hide it," he said, powering down the barrier and handing him the bayard. "I still don't completely trust your motives, but I also believe that your father will most definitely go back on his word. If he really wants you dead, then you'll need that. You _have_ helped us a lot so far. And if we are successful in returning with both you _and_ Commander Holt tomorrow, everyone wins."

Little did Lotor realize at that moment, that very bayard which once belonged to his father, would be instrumental in the death of that very man: the _original_ black paladin.

Zarkon's death shocked _everyone._ But it was monumental in taking back the universe from the grip of tyranny. Allura's heart hurt for the Galra prince. No one should have to kill their parent. But she knew that he did it, at least in part, for the same reasons they had all wanted the defiled emperor gone. And _that alone_ , had ultimately earned Lotor her respect.

With everyone back on the ship, they took a moment to get things sorted. The heir to the Galra throne sat pensively on the bridge. His hands trembled slightly as he recalled watching the life drain from his father. The feeling was bittersweet. The man he knew as his father was pure evil, defiled and arrogant. But he knew that he hadn't always been that way. The young black paladin named Zarkon, the man who loved an Altean alchemist and gave her a child, had been his inspiration. Both of them were gone, now. There was no coming back. He had killed his own father. It was something that instilled both pride and a sense of loss. As these emotions waged war within he didn't notice the softened, concerned gaze.

"Are you alright?" she asked him.

The answer was far too complicated for a short reply. But her concern touched him. It was rare that anyone get past his stoic facade. Although he still had so much he wanted to discuss privately with the blue-eyed Altean, with the rest of the team arriving shortly he knew that, once again, he was robbed of a perfect opportunity.

"I'll be fine."

She didn't seem to completely accept that answer, but in her own way, reached out to comfort him. And it did not go unnoticed.

"What you did was for the greater good. And for many of us, proof of your intentions for peace."

Her words quieted his nerves for a brief moment, knowing that she finally was taking him seriously.

 _The next step will be far from easy, but it is absolutely essential. I hope she will finally agree._

That was unfortunately _not_ the case. His explanation was met with much resistance.

Thankfully the black paladin once again took his side and approached Lotor.

Resting in an empty bed chamber, the weary Galran was snapped from his restless thoughts when there was a knock at his door. The door slid open with a hiss, revealing a readied Shiro with his helmet in hand.

"Grab your things and come with me," he stated darkly. "I'm going to get you to the Kral Zera."

On the planet of Feyiv, a battle waged between countrymen. But Lotor proved himself, besting the other warriors with the help of the paladins and Voltron, who kept other enemy forces at bay in the skies while the fight came to a head down on land.

Allura watched as Lotor reached his torch down and violet flames shot up to the sacred crucible, announcing that he was the new ruler of the empire.

 _This is it. We will soon see your true colors, Lotor. I do hope you continue to live up to your word. For then we may actually have peace once again._


	2. Fugue

Chapter Two: Fugue

 _Fugue: A polyphonic composition based upon one or more themes, enunciated by several voices/parts in turn, subjected to contrapuntal treatment, gradually building into a complex form with distinct divisions or stages of development, leading to a marked climax at the end._

It had only been about a week since the Kral Zera when Lotor contacted the Princess.

She was alone on the bridge of the ship, staring off into the depths of space sprawling before her, when the telescreen appeared in a flash and a trill signaled an incoming call.

The familiar coordinates made Allura's stomach flip-flop.

She held her breath as one jittery finger tapped the indicator to connect with the new Emperor, and his softly smiling face filled the screen.

"Good evening, Princess," he said in a smooth dulcet intonation. "I hope I'm not disturbing you."

"No...not really," she fumbled. "Just...taking a moment for myself." She paused as they simply held each other's gaze for a moment, before finally needed to break the ice. "So, how are you faring, Lotor? I'm sure your new tasks at hand are not easy ones."

Lotor was taken aback slightly by her genuine concern. It was a new concept to have _anyone_ genuinely care about his well-being, and he rather appreciated it. He felt that she, as his greatest ally, and a caring individual, deserved an candid answer.

"To be quite frank, it's not easy. Dare I say it's mentally exhausting. I have a lot to sort out, and much upheaval to deal with. _But..._ " Lotor paused, his gaze warming once again to her, sending her reeling for a moment. He nodded in her direction. "I would like to invite you to visit with me at your earliest convenience-you _and_ the paladins, of course," he quickly corrected, clearing his throat, "as a show of good faith. Come see what changes I wish to bring to the empire, and how I plan to do away with the old regime." His lips quirked to the side, as he looked away from the screen, before continuing. "And actually, I have some very special things I would like to show _you,_ Princess."

For some reason, his addendum had a hint of double entendre that brought the heat rising to her face. Allura couldn't help the the sudden and moderately inappropriate image of a shirtless Lotor that came to mind. Attempting to shake herself from it, she mentally berated herself.

 _Why would I even think of something like that?_

Lotor noticed the color in her cheeks and realized how vaguely uncouth he sounded. Steeling himself from the thought of being alone with the beautiful Altean, he cleared he throat yet again and hastened to clarify.

"Ah, well, let's just say there are a wealth of resources that only a trained Altean alchemist like yourself will be able to decipher."

Allura laughed nervously. "Oh, yes, in that case, I would be glad to accept your invitation...on behalf of _all_ the paladins."

"I look forward to our meeting, Princess," he said, a small smile once again gracing his lips. "Get some rest, and I'll see you soon."

Allura dared return the smile with a nod. The color of her cheeks darkened further.

"You, also, Lotor. I'll be in touch," she replied as she reached for the control screen. "Good night."

The somewhat frazzled princess decided it was time to turn in and try to get some sleep, as the next day they would prepare for departure.

All of the paladins stared in awe as they docked into the headquarters of the Galra empire. They all voiced their disbelief in their turn of circumstance.

Violet lights shone an eerie hue on everything in their midst.

Allura assured them that their support of the new emperor would be worth their ultimate goals. Deep within her bones she knew that, as much as her emotions wanted to hate everything that the Galra had become in the last ten thousand years, her intuition reassured her beyond a shadow of a doubt, Lotor was a man of good faith. He may have his own personal goals, but he was true to his word. She knew well enough to trust her intuition, and it told her to trust him.

To trust him as a bearer of peace, by giving every race in the the empire what they needed, including his own: A healthy planet, proper balance of power and a voice in the governance of the empire, in a viable attempt to negate any reasons for war and subjugation.

Her breath caught as they entered the entry hall. Old banners flew anew. She only had a vague recollection of them, but the familiarity had warmed her heart. It overshadowed the incongruity of sentries that greeted them along with their ally.

His introduction gave her hope and still saddened her. She knew that there was so much work to be done to help rebuild everything and restore their deeply coveted peace. He had taken the throne under very precarious circumstance. Lotor was not fully supported by the remnants of his father's empire.

It all came down to one thing:

"...Quintessence...Unlimited amounts of it."

He looked straight to her.

"Allura, _you_ , are the key to getting it," he stated it in an almost complimentary nature.

He welcomed the rest of the paladins and Allura's advisor, Coran to freely visit and access everything in the Galra Headquarters. Shiro and Coran headed off to collect important data, much to their disbelief, and the other three, left to their own mischeivous devices.

Allura _prayed_ they didn't do anything _too_ out of line as Lotor beckoned her to come with him.

 _Alone._

He turned to ascend the staircase, giving her a small smile as he glanced down at his elbow as he wordlessly suggested a gentlemanly offering. She smiled back at him as she took it, much to Lance's apparent chagrin which she instantly ignored.

She was being treated like a princess for the first time in ten millennia, and she rather enjoyed it.

They headed up the stairs in companionable silence. And once they were out of sight of the envious paladins, Lotor looked down at her. His eager and anticipatory gaze told her he was anxious to show her something.

"Follow me, Princess," he urged. "I know you want to see this. No one has been where we are going-other than myself-in quite a while."

"Allura," she stated, after realizing he had only once called her by her name, then reverted to her title.

He halted mid-step, raising questioning brow at her.

"Please, Lotor," she said, gently squeezing his arm where her hand lay. "I believe, after all you've done to prove yourself to me and the rest of the Alliance, that we _both_ deserve to be on a first name basis."

An unusual warmth bloomed in his chest. He was unable to truly understand the sensation but it relaxed him and made him feel more at ease in her presence. The newly anointed emperor was self-admittedly _flattered_ by her approval, and even a bit excited to know that the Altean goddess had finally accepted him as her equal. Although part of him was unnerved by his own small happiness, he allowed himself to revel in this new feeling.

There was never time for indulging in ones emotions in his world. But for the first time he found it hard to deny himself. The way her aqueous blue eyes glinted in the low light of the residual quintessence sent a little shiver up his spine. It was a rare moment that she was being openly kind to him. The first had been immediately following his father's death, but last night's interaction and now _this..._ it had his mind reeling.

The argent emperor turned to face the princess, his expression softened, lightly grasping her upper arm. The intimate gesture set Allura's nerves on fire. The sizzling sensation rippled up her arm through her shoulder and neck to the base of her skull. The emotion had changed yet again. A nuance that hadn't been there before. She was seeing a new side of the Galran Prince.

Lotor felt his pulse race. She had quickly become one of the few people whose respect truly mattered to him, and now had given her own sort of blessing. Finally, they were able to spend time together, without interruption. There was so much to be said. He didn't know where to begin, except perhaps with his gratitude.

"You honor me...Allura," he replied, reacquainting his tongue with her name. He ran his hand down her arm and clasped her hand between his own. "I'm glad we are now on equal footing."

Allura's breath caught as she felt him subconsciously connecting with her, seemingly trying to latch onto her spiritually. It was becoming apparent that he was indeed drawn to her, which both exhilarated and cautioned her. She exhaled slowly and gave a quiet nod, unable to shake the sentimental feeling that seeped into her veins.

 _Could Lotor be bringing me some place with an emotional connection? He seems to be wearing his heart on his sleeve right now. It's unlike him to be so open and vulnerable._

Then it hit her. _Trust._ One only opens their heart and mind to others, allowing others to feel their energy in this way when they trust someone.

She took his arm once again and they headed to the end of a long corridor. Two large metal doors opened wide for them and the stepped into a cavernous space, with large arched ceilings. There where smaller corridors lined with shelves full of assorted items.

Allura got an odd, uncomfortable feeling from her surroundings. As if there was a lingering negativity steeped in everything around them.

"What is the place?" she finally asked.

"Haggar's Lair."

Her blood ran cold. She had instantly sensed there was something foul lacing the air in the room.

"Why would you bring me here?" _What is it about this collection you adamantly thought I needed to see?_

Lotor's explanation gave her little reprieve. She was still incredibly uncomfortable being in the dreaded witch's lair.

"I shouldn't be here," she said as she turned to leave.

Lotor felt desperate for her to understand why she needed to explore the collection of items in the room. He reached for her hand.

"Allura..."

She froze as his warm hand grasped hers. His voice, soft and pleading, begged her to stay. The intuitive Altean could sense his underlying panic. His smooth mask began to crumble before her very eyes. Those emotions that he attempted to hide from others were on full display to her.

"Please, I cannot do this without you."

She sighed and reluctantly agreed, upon seeing the look in his eyes. She would do this for _him_.

 _He has given me so much help, the least I can do is return the favor._

When she finally agreed, the relief poured off of him. There was an understanding in his gaze. He knew this may be unsettling for her, and he was eternally grateful for her cooperation.

When she found the science log, and Lotor revealed that his mother was _the_ renowned Honerva, it suddenly all made sense. Their innate connection, his willingness to join in their alliance, and the increasing gravitational pull toward each other. It warmed her heart. There was _one_ more Altean-well, _half-_ but still. His features, in many ways, were undeniably high Altean, like her own family. The princess surmised that Honerva, having been an exceptional alchemist, may very well have been at least partially of high Altean descent.

As they continued their search, Lotor revealed his further knowledge and thirst for a connection to his lost heritage.

He seemed to _know_ she had certain powers as an alchemist. Allura wondered if he had some untapped magical and alchemical powers himself. There was a deep-seated feeling blossoming within her that uprooted every preconception she had of him. She could now see how many layers he had and the urge to peel back those layers one by one overtook her.

Lotor was pleasantly surprised by Allura's change of heart. As soon as she realized he was Altean and had educated himself on ancient Altean alchemy, the was a shift in the way she spoke to him. She was opening up and placing her trust in him. His chest felt lighter, he felt like there truly was hope.

With the discovery of the compass stone, Allura revealed her lack of self-confidence, comparing herself to her father.

 _She's too strong of heart and mind to be as impotent as she thinks she is. This woman radiates light like a sun. Her quintessent nature is so beautifully pure._

His heart ached as she began to cry.

And then it happened. The stone unlocked and revealed the path to the next stage of their journey.

Oriande.

Overwhelmed and overjoyed, the two royals began to see the true potential of their collaboration, and a strong sense of purpose to their new kinship.

They hurried to collect the rest of the paladins. Shiro and Coran had just been finish their task, and were backing up the data they had synced. Pidge, Hunk and Lance looked injured...and covered in _food goo._

Allura merely gave them a look, before turning to Lotor.

"How long until we're ready to depart?" She asked matter-of-fact.

" _We?"_ Lance muttered, warranting a look from the princess that screamed _"You have no ground to stand on right now, looking like that."_ He shut up and sulked.

Lotor touched her arm again, bringing a blush to her cheeks.

"I should be less then one hour," the emperor replied. "I will make all necessary preparations here, as well as provide extra provisions for the voyage."

"Thank you, Lotor," she said, smiling softly with a nod.

The sapphire-eyed royal shook his head lightly, "No, Allura, it is _I_ who should be thanking _you._ "

He turned and started briskly, off to his duties.

Everyone turned and looked at her.

"So you and the purple people eater are on a first name basis now?" Lance asked in disbelief.

"And all touchy-feely to boot?" Pidge looked at the blushing Princess.

"All right you guys, you have no room to talk," she said turning on her 'princess mode'. "You three look like you got yourselves into some serious trouble."

"We had a popsicle truce, it's all good," Hunk chimed in, refuting the claim.

Allura simply shook her head. "I _don't_ want to know."

As promised it been only about forty-five minutes before Lotor arrived on the ship, he had them unlock the loading dock to allow provisions to be loaded onto the ship.

"So, Princess, would you care to fill us in as to why the Emperor is suddenly accompanying us?"

Allura gave them a bright smile. Her eyes sparkled with excitement. "It will have to wait till the briefing when we are done here. I first want Lotor to get settled in. He may be with us for a bit."

She had a bit of a curious spring in her step as she turned to her handsome guest and gestured forward.

"Shall I show you to your quarters?" she welcomed with an air of hospitality.

"Lead the way," he replied imitating her gesture, his voice ever smooth and gentlemanly. He paid the paladins no mind and his eyes solely focused on the Princess. A oddly genuine smile tinged with the tenderness of a smitten man graced his lips as the royal duo wandered off the bridge.

The four other paladins and the elder Altean advisor all gaped at the departing duo before looking to the others for answers to their curious questions.

Lance sulked, "What the _heck_ is going on?"

Shiro's brow furrowed. Coran blinked in disbelief. Pidge looked warily to Hunk, who merely shrugged.

"I guess we'll find out soon enough."

"Are you hungry, Lotor?" Allura asked, as any gracious host would.

He shook his head. "I dined just before your arrival earlier."

She nodded. They headed past the paladins' quarters, into a larger corridor with only two towering sets of doors at opposite ends. Lotor looked from one door to the other, then to her, questions evident in his violet visage.

"The door down there on the left are my quarters," she explained with a small flourish of her hand. "Those there across the way...were my father's."

"Allura, I don't have-"

"You are the emperor, Lotor. And you are my ally," she said, nostalgia lacing her words. "Please stay in the room that was truly fit for a king."

Lotor bowed slightly, taking Allura's hand in a gentlemanly gesture and gently pressed his lips to the top of it.

"You are truly a gracious host, and I am humbled by your offering."

The Altean princess felt the heat rise to her cheeks. It had been so long since anyone had treated her like this. He released her hand and she led him to the doors to the long-ignored royal suite of the Castle of Lions.

It was simplistic, but spacious. Alfor traveled in this ship, so the rooms were more utilitarian than lavish. Allura was not surprised that it was very much like her own. The doors opened to a sitting area. The space was warmly lit in soft hues of blue and gold. Off to the side was the sleeping quarters, complete with king-size bed, a large desk with a telescreen and enough storage space for at least two people.

"That door over there should be to the private bath," she directed him, "So you don't have to worry about sharing."

 _But what if I wanted to share?_ he thought to himself before instantly reprimanding himself. _This is not the time to be thinking of these sorts of things. We are on our way to Oriande!_

He pushed his warring thoughts aside and nodded his thanks.

"Thank you, Allura," he replied. "I'm sure that after whatever may transpire in Oriande, I will readily welcome this respite."

Now that he had his bearings, and his sparse extra belongings in place, the two headed back to the bridge.

Despite being met with some dissent, Allura and Lotor pressed the others to stay open to the likely reality of the mythical land they sought. The coordinates came up, indicating danger ahead, but Allura was now adamant about reaching their goal.

Lotor and Allura encouraged the other in the confidence that this was a key step in achieving their shared ambitions of universal peace.

Coran did as he was told and set course for the Petrulian Zone.

The pure and intense light radiating from the white hole was both entrancing and blinding.

 _That's where we need to head, isn't it?_ The princess wondered.

After even more debate, they took to their lions. Much to their surprise and chagrin, they failed miserably as the mysterious guardian refused the paladins of Voltron. Until Lotor's voice tore through their comm units.

"You need to get out of there!"

Floating their way back to the castle from their defunct lions, the princess wracked her brain for a solution, but none was forthcoming.

Arriving back the bridge, her eyes immediately found Lotor. Her heart skipped a beat as she realized...

 _Lotor! He has Altean markings? And they're glowing?_

After being bombarded with questions from the paladins, he directed the attention to the princess. When she took her helmet off, she realized _her_ marks were iridescent as well. Looking back to Lotor, his markings suddenly shedding light on many things.

 _If he is also chosen by the ancients, then he must have some kind of latent magical and alchemical power. Maybe he hasn't manifested them yet? I wonder if I could help him tap into it? Surely, it is a sign from the Ancients..._

She had to fight the urge to reach out and touch the Emperor's markings. She couldn't let her herself be so bold. Every synapse in her brain seemed to rapid fire with possibilities.

But now, she had to keep focused on their mission.

The two Chosen Alteans took to their personal transports, sailing into the white hole toward the White Lion guardian. In a flash, the skies cleared into a beautiful scenery bathed in rosy hues. The beauty of Oriande was overwhelming.

 _If only there was time to actually explore._

After landing, they headed deeper into the the mysterious realm, without any further clues.

Allura and Lotor looked at each other for just a moment.

"Lotor, we're really _here,_ " she breathed. He smiled at her, then tried to take in more of their surroundings. She followed suit, pointing toward a precipice. "I feel a calling from this direction."

They were silent for a while, when Allura broke the silence once again.

"You know, Lotor...if you bear the mark of the Chosen, you may have stronger Altean genetics than you realize," she said, theorizing aloud.

Lotor eyed her quizzically. "How so?"

"Well, you easily recognized my connection to Altean magic and alchemy, and you seem to at least grasp the concept of how it works...Have you considered that you may have that connection, too?"

Lotor frowned. "In all my years, all the moments I tried to comprehend what that connection could be like..." He shook his head. "I fear my Galra blood keeps the Altean side of me at bay."

Allura stopped short and shrugged at the man who nearly ran into her. "Maybe you haven't had the proper guidance?"

"Perhaps..." Lotor considered her logic. The princess had a point. "But now is not the time. Whatever it is we are to find here, we take that knowledge with us and head back to the ship."

"Later, then," she suggested as they continued forward. "I won't rest until my curiosity has been satisfied."

Lotor nodded, and they began their upward trek.

As the reached the peak, Allura reminisced, pondering her father. Lotor's heart mellowed with a somber ache. Allura's father had been an exceptional man. Wishing for a moment he had had Alfor for a father instead of his own. Around Allura, he felt that he could be unusually candid about these things, and suddenly the stream of consciousness went into a sad story of what he felt was a moment of weakness.

For a moment he thought about all of the wonderful people he had met on that particular planet long ago, and how successful he felt his project had gone. Then the horrible image of being confined to a cruiser, watching as all those people lost their lived in a instant, instantly followed.

He had wanted equilibrium: Help the empire without destroying everything in his path... Never taking more than what was necessary and always giving back to those who aided him.

In his centuries away from the home base, Lotor started to learn about what a vast and unfathomably beautiful place the universe was. He didn't want to abuse its inhabitants. They all had a right to exist peacefully-Just like the long-lost Alteans.

And now, his centuries of exile spent obsessively seeking out his Altean roots lead him to this very moment. Try as he might, his righteous anger was beginning to sink its claws into his mood. Until she spoke up.

"I'm glad you're here to help me now. I would have never gotten here without you."

His own truth recalled from the previous day.

 _"I can't do this without you..."_

He realized then and there, they shared a mutual appreciation for each other.

They were a team. They could do this... _together._

That unshakable feeling returned to his chest, bubbling contentment that melted onto his face in a soft smile. He turned to discover a warm and accepting expression meant only for him.

They both could feel something bright and intangible deepening the connection between them.

Lotor didn't know what to make of it. He felt strangely at ease in her presence. As if he could unload ten millennia's worth of struggle, victories and failures alike- all those lessons learned, and she wouldn't shun him like his parents had, like the Galra had...like his own trusted subordinates had.

Once over the precipice of the mountain, they beheld a bright light emanating from a large pyramid in the distance.

They had finally found it: The Temple of the Alchemists.

Once they stood at the gates, their fates began to unfold. The white lion beckoned them within, and their test began. Each their own universal understanding was put to the test as their lives flashed before their eyes, their reactions mirroring the ideals instilled in them throughout their lives.

Lotor was, for the first time in his long life filled with pure fear. He had searched for so long to reach this moment. How was he supposed to defeat this guardian and gain the ancient knowledge he coveted? Fight or flight mentality took hold in the death grip of panic. And to his horror, it failed him.

Allura reverted to her first instinct as well, though hers was not that of fear, but the wisdom of love and light. She assessed the guardian while defending herself. And her soul unlocked to the secrets through her self-sacrifice, receiving the blessing of the ancients.

 _Life begets life._

Lotor, upon arriving back at the entryway of of the Temple, shouted at the heavens and cursed his Galra blood. He came to the realization of a sobering truth: he had much to learn about Altean alchemy. Part of him wanted to internalize this as yet another failure. But he was also now all the more determined that Allura would be the conduit; not only for the Galra but also for his own enlightenment. Now more than ever, he wished to find the magical ability within him that Allura believed he may possess. All his life the Galran approach had failed him, and he constantly sought the wisdom of the ancients. There _had_ to be a reason he was chosen. Allura would surely help him find it.

In ten thousand years, he had never felt such hope. Never truly trusted. The Galran Prince may have been a man of his word, but his priorities, self-preservation and personal achievement, were always kept close to the chest. Never had he been this honest with himself or anyone else. The now-emperor never knew true peace to be possible for the universe, nor for his own soul, until now.

His answer appeared in a sudden flash of light.

Allura stood there, radiant and sublime, her smiling eyes finding his.

And it was _then_ that he understood his inner musings.

 _Centuries upon centuries of searching...and the light in this perpetual darkness has found me._

He gave her a sad smile.

"I assume the Ancients have welcomed you with open arms, Allura. You are positively glowing. I congratulate you on finding what you were looking for."

Her smile fell. "Lotor, are you alright?"

"Even after ridding the universe of my father's tyranny, I could say that I was fine," he admitted with a sigh. "But this..." He gestured toward the Temple, "like so many other things I have attempted to do of my own accord...I failed."

"Lotor," Allura called, pulling him from the downward spiral of frustration. She stepped into his personal space and rested her hand on his breastplate. Her gaze riveted him on the spot. "You are _not_ a failure."

"But I-"

"You haven't quite learned what it means to be Altean, yet. That's why you didn't pass the test." Her voice softened, "I promise to teach you, if you wish to learn."

"I do, Allura. Both for myself and for the ultimate benefit of the universe."

Allura smiled up at him. "Now _that_ was very Altean of you." She patted his chest lightly. "But first, you must open your heart without reservation to everything around you...It not just of the mind. It is a connection of the spirit to the whole."

She closed her eyes and suddenly a blue aura shimmered around them. Neither warm nor cold, the energy tingled throughout his body. His synapses sizzled with stimulation, making him slightly dizzy. As his eyes slid shut, he could see the bright light behind his eyelids; a river flowing through him and pooling at various points in his body: His crown, his forehead, the nape of his neck, his chest, his stomach, his groin, his feet.

His breath caught in his throat as every emotion he'd ever experienced hit him like a Galran cannon. It was like a flood gate had opened somewhere within him. Tears pricked the corners of his eyes, and smile fought its way onto his lips. He body vibrated, seeming weightless in the flood.

A gasp escaped his lips as he succumbed to the soul-searing sensation, as if his inner self was stretching in every direction, as if he had suddenly grown like ivy into the the furthest reaches of the galaxy.

As Allura relented, the earth beneath his feet became tangible, grounding Lotor once again, his eyes opening wide and swallowing hard. Breath came in slow, labored inhalations as he regained his senses.

"By the Ancients, Allura..."

She went to pull her hand away, but his hand lifted to cover hers against his chest.

"I want to learn-to know- _that_."

She chuckled softly. "In time, but first learn to connect to yourself. I know you have the magic in you, Lotor. I have been able to sense something for a while now. I simply had to test it for myself. The fact that the energy so deeply affected you is proof. We _will_ work on it. But we need to get back to the ship and the others." She pulled her hand away slowly. "When we have a quiet moment later, yes?"

His heart remained light, like remnants of that sacred energy pulling at his spirit, as they began their trek back out of Oriande.

In that moment he finally began to see that was no longer just _half-_ Galra or _half-_ Altean, with this indescribable _thing_ awakening within him, he would be _whole._


	3. Marcia alla Battaglia

Chapter 3: Marcia alla Battaglia (Battle March)

Gold and Blue eyes blinked in the faint light of the late King's dimmed quarters as he stared at the vaulted ceiling. The emperor's body, weary and sleep-deprived, was denied rest by his ever-racing mind. Since getting closer to Allura, he fought with the emotions that weakened his resolve. He detested how he had begun to question himself, and open himself up to something as fickle as sentiment. But in Oriande, something shifted as he experienced the conduction of quintessence. His heart wavered, disrupting his logical approach to parsing the situation. Too many new variables had been added to the situation, and his head and heart battled incessantly.

Now, he had more blood on his hands. Blood he wished he'd never had to shed. Now, he felt the pangs of guilt and empathy. He lay there, gritting his teeth in righteous anger, a lump forming in his throat.

 _Why did it have to be HER...?_

* * *

The duo had arrived back at the Castle just in the nick of time. Allura gasped at the sight of her comrades, practically passed out and struggling to breathe.

"Coran! Lance! Shiro! Oh, stars! Please let them be okay!" She cried out as she bolted over to them. A barely conscious Pidge attempted to open her eyes and panted.

"Still...here."

The weary quintet struggled to their feet as Allura stepped up to the teludav and returned power to the ship.

As a discussion ensued, the princess began to notice how wary of Lotor her paladins continued to be. No one thanked him, no one credited him for guiding them there. She had to stick up for him, giving him well-deserved credit for sharing his hard-fought research.

 _Why, after all that he has done for me and for the Alliance, do they STILL refuse to acknowledge him?_

They stared at her, Lance and Coran in particular, seemingly unable to see past Lotor's figurehead status as Galran Emperor.

 _But they haven't gotten to know him like I have._

She turned to Lotor, who spoke only the truth he had discovered in these last hours of their journey.

He gazed at her with pride, happy that he could at least assist Allura with obtaining her ultimate level of Alchemical power. He was able to behold Oriande with his own eyes. And everything it led to had irreparably changed his outlook.

Pidge piped in, "So what's the next step?"

"Slow down, Pidge," Lance griped. "We just started just started _breathing_ again!"

Allura gave one last appreciative look before addressing the group.

"Well, I don't know about the lot of you, but I am famished. Let's head to the dining hall and eat, and we can discuss things over a meal."

Once gathered and settled with plates of what could only loosely be called a meal-space food was purely sustenance-they opened up about some of the latest details.

Allura started with a summary of Oriande: what the envionment was like, what happened in the temple.

"After Lotor informed me that his mother was Honerva, the Altean alchemist, I realized that half of his genetics are akin to mine. He was one of the chosen because he is the child of an alchemist."

Jaws dropped, eyes widened, brows threatened hairlines. Lotor felt the need to explain.

"I believe that my exposure to quintessence is what has prolonged my life so much. Which has in many ways been a blessing. I have learned much..." he paused. "But, I don't think you fully understand, so let me reiterate," He looked each paladin in the eyes, making himself perfectly clear. "I am _not_ my father." He let a small silence lapse as those words sank in. "I wish to rule and provide for the Galra in a much more... _Altean_ way, so to speak. I have done it before: peace and diplomacy with planets, while still providing for the Galra...much to Zarkon's dismay. I wish to do it on every planet that remains in our territory. In the event that we are able to harness an endless source of our own, the empire will gradually disengage from mining those planets altogether."

"So you essentially want to _undo_ everything Zarkon did to the universe?" Hunk summarized thoughtfully.

"Essentially, yes. I wish to undo the 'conqueror' mentality which Zarkon upheld," Lotor explained. With Daibazaal long gone, many Galra have lived among and intermingled with other species and civilizations."

"Keith, our former red paladin, is half-Galra, half-human, actually," Shiro pointed out.

"My case in point," Lotor continued. "Why can't we exist as a transient people? We may no longer have our home planet, but we are still a pertinent society. Why can't the empire and the alliance blend into one giant network of civilizations, joined together to maintain peace in the universe and provide aid for all citizens?"

"That _is_ rather Altean in nature, to be sure," Coran added. "But you know that the Galra cling to their pride. They will not be easily swayed-as a whole, I mean, of course-to a more passive way of life."

"This is why things will be done gradually, as well as integrating other races into the empire's forces, and having coalition forces and my loyal faction of Galra work together in the process," he supplied rather candidly.

"Thank you for talking with them, Lotor," Allura said on behalf of the rest of the group. "I hope we can continue to clear up any misunderstandings and _preconceptions_ that linger." She looked from him back to the others with a sigh. "Everyone here knows about my long-lingering feelings toward the people responsible for the state of the universe. I have had to unlearn them through Keith, and now, through you, Lotor. I am trying to remind myself that the Altean belief is that we are all part of a whole: Human, Galran, Altean, Olkari, Balmeran, and so on...and that an individual should be treated as such," she added her gaze returning to the emperor. A warm, but shy smile eased its way on to her face. "You might just be surprised by what you find."

Lotor's steady, enigmatic demeanor faltered for a single tick as his face heated. He knew that for her, that was a bold declaration. But the nuance of her words was not lost on him. There was a fondness that stirred something deep within him. One that, since actively working with the Voltron team, had often compelled him to seek her, reach for her on varying levels: intellectually, emotionally, spiritually, and-occasionally-physically. Something had definitely changed over the course of their time together thus far, but their visit at Galra central command, and subsequently, their journey to Oriande, had intensified their dynamic exponentially. He felt it. He _knew_ it. And he saw the change in her, as well.

 _Could it be the Altean blood, creating psychic and magical channels between us? Could it be the intimate gesture of prying me open to the intrinsic light and power the universe holds, flooding me with the purest of light and lo-_

Alarms blared suddenly, wrenching him from his runaway thoughts. A nauseatingly dark feeling coiled in his gut.

He looked Allura in the eye, knowing they were having the same thought:

"Haggar," they stated simultaneously. They both knew there was only one real way to fight Haggar. Allura knew what she had to do.

"Lotor, with your guidance, we can defeat her. She is the last remnant of the fallen empire with any true power," she declared. "We _will_ end this, once and for all."

The group hastened back to the bridge, readying themselves for a fight.

Unbeknownst to the paladins, much of their planning had been eavesdropped by the defiled altean herself, and "Stage Five of Operation Kuron" was an imminent threat.

"We need to keep Haggar out of Oriande!" Allura commanded. "If she is Altean, there is at least a possibility that she could get in. That would be disastrous. We _must_ stop her."

* * *

The paladins fought valiantly as swarms of fighters inundated them. Hunk's cannon, Allura's freeze ray, along with the rest of the lions, easily decimated the first wave of the battle. Lotor rode with the princess in the co-pilot seat behind her. The plan was to drop Lotor at the witch's cruiser before forming Voltron. He knew what he had to do. With Allura's help, through boosting Voltron with her alchemy, they would attempt to quell Haggar's own dark magic as Lotor made his way into her ship to physically dispose of her.

Lotor was able to stealthily reach the inner chambers of the ship without notice. He had a feeling, however, that the witch would be waiting for him. His suit comm unit was linked to the paladins, so they could alert each other from either side.

As he neared Haggar's area of the ship, he suddenly felt a disturbing tug deep within himself. A dark and sinister feeling ripped through him in a smaller, but similar, way the beautiful blue light had racked his being just vargas prior.

"Allura," he said in a low voice. "Can you sense the witch's power as well?"

"Yes," she replied, the urgency of the fight tinting her response. "I fear she is waiting for you. I have a feeling she may be waiting for _both_ of us to make a move."

"I agree," he said direly. "She _must_ know by now that you hold the power to defeat her." He sighed, knowing his next move had questionable outcomes. He voiced aloud to his trusted allies. "I may be in store for a beating if she and her druids are waiting for me beyond those doors-"

"I will _not_ let anything happen to you, Lotor. I will come for you. _WE_ will come for you," she interjected, surprising both the emperor and the paladins with her ferocity.

Suddenly, the dark quintessent energy began building around the hull of the ship. In that moment, Lotor knew Haggar had sensed his presence, and that she had to begun to act. The doors to the chamber flew open. Bright magenta crackling through the air.

"You think you can deceive me, Lotor? Enter this place without out my notice?" Haggar taunted. "You wear your intentions on your sleeve!"

"Allura!" Lotor called. "She's building an attack!"

The half-blooded emperor summoned and readied his sword.

As he took his fighting stance in the entryway, the crackling, defiled quintessence began mounting into a glowing orb in the center of the room, hovering above the sorceress. Below her a summoning circle glowed bright, and her druids supplied their powers to aid in her spell-casting.

He hadn't waited for the princess's response before bursting forth toward the object of his hatred.

Like lightning, Lotor was struck with an overpowering bolt of magic. The wind completely knocked out of him, pain surged through him in a torturous wave.

Haggar came to hover over him.

"It is unlike you to be so brash. But seeing as you wear your father's blood on your soul, I shouldn't be so surprised," she hissed venomously. "Who knew that my son would become a traitor to his own blood?"

Lotor gasped, eyes flying open. _No._

He gritted his teethed as he seethed. "You, witch, are _not_ my mother!" The witch recoiled slightly at his blatant defiance. Lotor rose to his feet and stepped cautiously forward. "Honerva, a _true_ Altean alchemist, would never have committed the atrocities you have proved yourself capable of."

"How dare you defy your life-giver!" Haggar resumed her summons, readying to strike him again.

From behind Lotor, the familiar aqueous blue glow of Allura's magic appeared. The light shone brighter than a hundred suns.

Outside the ship, the legendary defender had been engulfed with blue quintessence, Allura building up magic to cast her own spell.

The fierce alchemist summoned the quintessence from a deep, long-ignored place in her heart. A place that not only respected life and revered peace, she dove deep into herself finding all of her purest love. Her friends and paladin family, her lost parents and people, the beauty of the universe around her and all of the genuinely caring people she has met...they all came to mind she found each one by face and name in her heart as she reached out to the furthest depths of space, calling on their connections to the whole. At last, her heart and mind settled on the object of her protection. She felt Haggar's imminent threat on his life, and something burst in her heart.

 _I beg you, Ancients, let him live!_

The entirety of Voltron curled in on itself, gathering the immense universal power. And with a thrust of her hands on the controls, the giant mecha unleashed the most devastating force that it, or any of its individual lions ever had.

Allura shouted desperately.

All of the paladins held on for dear life as the explosion of energy racked them with its intensity.

Lotor knew intuitively that, as a chosen one, if he braced himself, the pure light of quintessence would not harm him. He felt the burst behind him as it raced through the ship, the halls were bathed in a blinding blue radiance. He closed his eyes a moment and reveled in what he felt was Allura's love for the Universe. It was almost _cleansing_ , in a way. As he opened his eyes, he watched the druids deliquesce into nothingness, Haggar falling to the floor in a heap, covered partially by her tattered cloak.

Striding over to the fallen witch, who was clinging to life by a thread, his kicked her over with his boot, quickly pointing his sword at her heart.

"What do you have to say for your defiled magic _now_..." he sucked in a breath at the sight before him. "...witch...?"

There lay Haggar, her skin no longer blue-violet, but rather an aged grey-brown color. Her eyes no longer glowed yellow, and had turned into grey-white sclera with golden irises. She looked like...

 _An Altean..._ The reality hit him like an ion cannon. This tattered, haggard old woman was what was left of the former alchemist-his mother-Honerva. Bile rose in his throat, sadness and anger rising with it, bitter in his mouth.

"My... _son,_ " she breathed.

"NO!" he shouted. "You gave up the right to call me that the moment you became the witch. Honerva is _dead."_

She gasped, trembling as her body began to fail.

"Alfor's daughter...she is chosen...blessed by the ancients," she wheezed. "I have never seen such purity, such power."

Lotor bit back a scoff. "Power you selfishly tried to obtain by robbing the universe of its life force for yourself. You get what you deserve."

"Only now," she winced as she bordered on death, "do I see this...after purification."

The emperor would not listen any further to her excuses, nor let himself feel any sentiment for the woman who laid waste to the universe, enabled by his monstrous father.

"Too little, too late."

His sword slid into her frail chest like butter; Her body wasted by millennia of quintessence abuse. Tears fell from her tired eyes as the light of life faded from them.

Lotor held back the scream of bitter frustration. He swallowed back tears and clenched his jaw.

"Haggar is dead," he stated darkly into his comm. "Someone please come and get me the _hell_ out of here."

Allura collected a somberly silent Lotor and headed back to the Castle.

She dared not pry, as she sensed the heaviness in his soul. The princess could only imagine the conflict going on in his heart at the moment.

* * *

When they reconvened on the bridge, all Lotor could muster was one statement.

"Allura's power devastated the witch and stripped her of her power," he offered. "And I finished the job. Haggar is no longer a threat to the universe."

He stood as he soughed a breath. "Now if you'll excuse me, I will take my leave."

"Lotor..." Allura beckoned.

He merely flashed her a weary look, turning downcast a moment before fixating straight ahead and heading out the door toward his quarters.

The team, who had nothing to add, looked to each other questioningly.

Allura sighed, her shoulders slumping slightly. "I believe what he had to do was tougher on him than we originally expected," she explained. "I'll talk with him when he's ready, and will discuss the details. I believe it may concern something that I had suspected to be true, but didn't have any viable proof."

"And what was that, Allura?" Shiro asked calmly.

"I do not want to merely speculate. I will let you all know later when I know for sure," she stated with a fatigued finality. "I too, am exhausted. We should all rest."

* * *

Allura lay awake, her body fatigued to the point of delirium, but her mind had been locked in an endless loop of thought. She had realized, in that singular moment of quintessent power, that she had found a plethora of reasons to protect the emperor. But the more she pondered why the need to protect Lotor had given her the ability to summon so much magic. The more she thought about Lotor, her heart filled tender loving-kindness. An emotion she only truly recalled feeling for her father. But this was different. He was her equal in age and generation, her colleague and equal in their position in this rally for peace. This was not a daughterly sentiment.

Trying to shake herself of the unusual train of thought, she further pondered Lotor's sober mood.

Her heart sank as she pondered what had likely happened.

 _"What if Haggar and Honerva are the same-"_

 _"That witch is NOT my mother."_

If he had discovered the truth, that would have broken his heart. His mother would have died for a second time...and at his own hand.

Allura finally began to fall asleep, and in the twilight of her slumber, she began to dream.

Lotor was wordlessly reaching out to her. She reached to take his hand when, to her surprise he pulled her in tight. His voice echoed in her mind, simply calling her name.

 _Allura..._

She snapped awake once more, looking at the time. It hadn't even been one varga yet. Throwing back the duvet, she slipped into her slippers and house robe and headed down the hall.

As she was about to lift her hand to knock at his door, the doors slid open, revealing a weary and restless Lotor. His eyes widened at the sight of her.

"Allura...How did you kn-?"

His question was cut off as Allura slid her arms around his waist and simply hugged him.

A gasp escaped his lips, taken aback by the intimate contact. Never, in his thousands of years, had anyone dared to embrace him. Conversely, never had he let anyone have such a level of his trust to get this close to him, and wedge themselves in his heart like Allura had in these last couple phoebes.

He stood there awkwardly for a few ticks, trying to deduce what to do with his own arms as the warmth of her body against his began to soak into his own. With a small sigh, he relinquished control of the moment, allowing himself to reciprocate.

Allura was pleasantly surprised to feel Lotor wrap his arms around her shoulders. She smiled softly to herself.

Warmth bloomed in his heart, stronger than it had when Allura had touched him casually, stronger than when she had shown her approval and trust. This was something extraordinarily overwhelming... And perfectly different from their intellectual and spiritual intimacy.

His eyes fell shut, in an attempt to keep back the tears forming in the corners of his eyes. His head, growing increasingly weighted with fatigue and heartbreak, found its way subconsciously to the soft cloud of curls atop the princess's head. Her scent was like an Altean summer: herbs and floral, and incredibly comforting. They stood there for an entire dobosh without moving. Just basking in the comfort of the other, soft breaths ruffling each other's ivory tresses.

"I'm just glad you're alive. I was worried about you, Lotor," Allura said softly. "Do you not see? You don't need to shut everyone out like you used to."

Lotor gave a gentle but still examining look. This... _goddess_ was concerned for his well-being. She had given her all to protect him today. Now here she stood, as neither of them could sleep, and they had both sought solace in the other. He considered how he had lived in fear of emotion and emotional intimacy all his life, deeming it a weakness. And for the first time, he felt himself letting all that go.

"Well then, do you care to come in?"


	4. Nocturne

Chapter 4: Nocturne

 _Nocturne: A romantic character piece, usually for piano, with an expressive, dreamy, or pensive melody._

Allura felt her face flush at his cheeky, but magnificently debonair response. He had used her own phrasing in his favor. But, yet...

 _He had no idea I was coming to see if he was all right. And I get the feeling, he may have been about to do the same._

She nodded, giving him a knowing look.

"Considering I couldn't sleep, the only thing that would help..." she faltered, realizing what she was about to admit. She glanced down at her folded hands, finding the courage to say it-quite literally-to Lotor's face, before steeling herself once more. "is your company."

The emperor sucked in a quiet breath, a small smile softening his weary features. Stepping back from the door, he gestured a welcoming arm.

The door slid shut with a soft hiss. Allura turned to regard him behind her, she realized he was in his own long black house robe. His smooth lavender skin peeking out from the 'V' of the neckline. from his collarbones to his sternum. As he approached her, she swallowed as her gaze flicked down to his feet, wearing matching moccasin-type house shoes. His bare ankles flashing briefly from under the hem of the robe.

 _I wonder if he's-_

"As you may have surmised, I was _also_ finding sleep rather...difficult, despite the generous accommodations," he stated, pulling her from her wayward thoughts, as he came to stand before her. His voice quieted. "I was _hoping_ you would still be up, actually." He took her hand in both of his, reminding her of the moment he told her he had faith in her power as an alchemist. "Thank you," he said simply, secretly savoring the sensation of skin on skin. Allura held her breath a tick as the tiniest tinge zipped up her arm before he released his gentle hold, his clawed fingertips whispering over her palm as he did.

The room was a slightly larger, and a bit more decorated than Allura's, but similar in layout. The king-sized royal bed was poised along the center wall. Wider than Allura's, it was spacious enough for two. But Alfor's quarters had also been furnished with what she could only describe as a more plush version of the paladin lounge. There was a low-lying oval table in the center of the split elliptical seating.

The white and golden lighting was dimmed, and the blue quintessent hue cast a calming glow over the chamber.

The princess went and took a seat in the center on one side. She looked up at the wall, where the Altean crest still flew: The symbol of their origins. Her parents, his mother, and everything that they both aspired to be. Lotor turned to gaze upon the blue and gold tapestry, his back to her for a moment. A few silent ticks went by, in memoriam.

"You were _right_ , Allura," he said, breaking the silence. The words ached with disappointment. He turned to her, his eyes downcast and jaw set firmly for a moment. The indignation battled his sense of mourning on his face.

Allura intuited what this meant, but with a softly pleading look, she wordlessly urged him to explain.

"You were right," he repeated. "The dreaded witch who enabled my father to destroy the universe, and the woman whom I spent centuries regarding and researching-and proudly called 'my mother'..." He swallowed roughly, trying his hardest to fight back nauseating waves of emotion. "...were, indeed, one and the same."

Allura's face crumpled in empathy. "I'm... _so_ sorry, Lotor. That is something I truly wish I had been wrong about."

His brows furrowed, accompanying a painful grimace as he shook his head.

"It's not your fault, Allura. I should have heeded you. It was a logical hypothesis, but I couldn't let my stellar perception of Honerva be tarnished, I..." He paused, shaking his head again before sitting beside the princess, slouching forward, reminding her of his demeanor after having killed his father. "I was completely in denial. The inkling got squashed anytime it popped up. Deep down, I knew it was a good possibility, but I held faith that it wasn't."

Staring back up at the Altean banner, he replayed the moment in his mind.

"Killing my father was easier. I blamed his defilement on Haggar. As much as I hated who he had become, I could surmise from tales of old that he hadn't always been that way. Not only was it for the betterment of the universe, it was also a mercy killing. In my mind he was no longer my father, but one of the witch's monsters. Little did I know, that the woman whose knowledge I so desperately sought was right before my very eyes. The woman I thought to be long dead...died by my sword." He took a long drawn breath and sighed. "If it hadn't been for your intervention, Allura, the witch would have undoubtedly killed me." He turned to look up at her from his hunched over stance. "I have never taken the brunt of her magic before. It was terrifyingly powerful. But _your_ magic...it _purified_ the dark quintessence that constituted her power." He straightened and turned in toward her, angling in to where his knee made contact with hers. He grabbed her forearm lightly, emphasizing his words. "Your power essentially _cured_ Honerva of her defilement. Unfortunately, her body and mind were too far gone, ravaged by millennia of quintessence overexposure...but I _saw_ her, Allura...with my _own eyes._ "

Allura's eyes stung with forming tears. "If only we had known all those years ago, maybe my father could have saved-"

Lotor shook his head. He didn't want to live on 'what-if's'. Allura stopped mid-thought.

"From the moment they took their revenge, my father and mother were beyond salvation," he refuted her. "There was no way of anticipating something of that magnitude."

"I'm sorry that _this_ was the role you ultimately had to play in their lives...being the one to _stop_ them. I can't imagine what that must feel like," Allura admitted somberly. "Surely, it is something that no one should ever be tasked with."

Lotor's hand slid down her arm and wrist to hers and held it for a long moment. Speaking as he remained fixed on their clasped hands.

"I'm not completely sure how to answer that, either. Emotions are a weakness in Galra society. I learned to take the pain and hurt and turn it into righteous anger, which fueled my centuries of deception with Zarkon and Haggar. I have been long conditioned to not be ruled by sentiment. In truth, I am allowing myself acknowledge emotion as an integral part of my existence for the first time," he explained, his words wistful and restrained.

He looked up to her, at a loss.

"How do you _do_ it?" He asked, eyes becoming glossy. "How do let yourself _feel_ and not let it be your undoing?"

Allura's thumb mindless stroked the back of his violet, clawed hand as she carefully chose her words.

"Whether it be joy, sadness, anger...you have to simply _express_ it-in one way or another. Surely, sometimes mind over matter is best, but emotions are like an ocean tide, lakes, or rivers. They overflow; they run dry. But it is a nearly constant coursing. Trying to restrain it can be... _detrimental._ " She gave his hand a reassuring squeeze. "Lotor, you have put up a dam to preserve your heart from the flood...but if the dam crumbles..."

"The deluge destroys everything in its path..." he finished thoughtfully. Once again he fell silent, Allura's thumb lulling him into an odd sense of comfort. His eyes slid shut as he contemplated the storm he felt churning in his chest.

"I think that you should know, Allura, that I have felt quite _...unlike_ myself since I started working with you." He unwittingly caught her attention. "Alteans and humans are vastly different in their approaches to life than the Galra- _that_ much was obvious from the start." His tone echoed the gentle awe she had heard as he climbed with her in Oriande. "At first, I thought it to be distastefully casual. But the more I observed, I saw something richer about your circle of trust that had me intrigued. You are more than a team of paladins. It's more than just a chain of command and executing missions. There is an inexplicable camraderie shared among you that is far more familiar and personal than any formal military counterparts." He smiled wryly to himself, at his own thoughts and words feeling so oddly foreign. "It's... _warm._ "

As the emperor exhaled the last words, he squeezed Allura's hand.

"Well, I can't imagine life with the Galra could ever be described as _warm_ ," she replied breathlessly, taken aback by Lotor's eager reciprocation to her touch.

"Not at all. Not after being pushed aside by my parents, and groomed to be a military man. Used as a tool of the empire, then exiled...then summoned, just to be exiled again. I have been very much alone and left to my own devices for the better part of ten thousand years. My team of generals was the closest thing I had to what you and your paladins have...but, _now..."_ He sighed though his nose. He had felt betrayed, but in retrospect, he had never given them any explanation as to Narti's death. His pride hadn't allowed it.

He looked to the princess who had taken to staring at her lap, her cheeks a brilliant pink. Blue-gold eyes peered at her as he finally lifted his hand from hers to tip her chin back up to him with the crook of his index finger.

"What's wrong, Allura?" he asked, curious and amused.

"I'm so used to being with humans, lately...they are more expressive than even Alteans are. And just before, at your door...I..." She paused. "I wasn't even thinking when I invaded your personal space like that. I'm sorry for imposing myself."

Lotor's eyes warmed and he began to chuckle.

"If I was _ever_ going to be embraced and comforted by _any_ one in my lifetime, I am glad it was _you._ "

Allura sat there stunned. She hadn't meant to be the first person to ever shown him warmth and affection. "You mean you've never...?"

"Hugged someone? I'm afraid not. As you would suppose, the Galra are not exactly the affectionate type. Although families all over Dorathori-the planet I told you about in Oriande-were fairly open with affection amongst their loved ones. So it's not the first time I've been around it..." He paused, fixing a stray strand of the princess's hair. "It's just the first time I've experienced it for myself."

He cleared his throat a little before shifting the subject a bit.

"I've been curious about something, actually," he said leaning casually sideways against the back of the couch, his hand coming to rest on his chest. "There have been lingering effects of what you did to me at Oriande. It's like you unlocked something that I didn't realize was a part of me-perhaps you've triggered a latent Altean nature? How long have you been able to tap into _your_ quintessent nature like that? Is it something innate from birth, or developed?"

Allura fidgeted under the weight of the loaded question, still reeling from the idea that Lotor readily accepted her affection. She chose not to immediately address his confessions for the moment, and dive into her own experience.

"I'd say it's a bit of both. I have known-and felt things-since I was a child, yes. But I wouldn't have come to have the understanding of Altean magic, my connection to the universe, and how to properly utilize it, if it had not been for my father. He taught me everything I know generally...well, until now. Perhaps if I guide you, like my father did for me, you can still connect to the quintessence within you."

His eyes held her gaze, his awe and appreciation laid bare to her.

"Blessed by the Life Givers. Incredible," he breathed. "Cleansing. That's the only way I can describe your magic. Between today and yesterday, I feel so very different. And all of these... sensations, and the fits of sentimentality...I assume they are part of the process."

"Indeed. Empathy is a heavy burden to bear at times. Not only are you subject to your own heart, but to the hearts of other people and planets. There is a delicate balance maintained between self and the whole. It can be overwhelming-almost frightening, at first-to open yourself up fully to something or someone," she explained, coming from a place in her own experience-healing planets and people-not realizing the nuance of her words.

"Indeed, it is..." Lotor murmured. He gazed down at his lap pensively a moment before slowly standing. Allura looked up at him curiously as he extended a hand to her. She takes it, trustingly, but unsure of what was coming next.

He steps into her personal space with graceful caution.

"May I, princess?" he asks tenderly, with a gesture of his hand, reaching for her side.

She nodded.

Lotor gathered Allura into his arms, cradling her head against his chest. The lightweight fabrics of their night robes did little to shield themselves from the heat they radiated. The princess's ear, pressed against the exposed expanse of his chest, could hear his heart racing. Her arms reached up and behind him, her hands finding purchase along the muscular ridges of his back. His body trembled ever so slightly under her touch, before clutching her a shade tighter.

With his eyes closed, he breathed deeply, letting himself be enveloped by Allura's essence. He felt his whole body begin to relax, his shoulders loosened as he exhaled. He tried to envision the light-the radiant cerulean glow that ran from head to toe, reaching into the depths of the universe. His whole body began to thrum with a new vibration. In his mind, he began to reach out. It began at the crown of his head, traveling down to his tailbone, and suddenly everything behind his eyelids was bright blue. Like vines and branches in an ancient forest, the emperor could sense the intertwining of of their spiritual energies.

 _I want you to know my heart, Allura._ He thought as he felt himself sinking into her embrace like quicksand.

 _"And you, mine..._ "

Her voice echoed back to him, startling him from his trance. He looked down at Allura, who peered up at him, smiling shyly. Her Altean marks glowing from the quintessence flowing through her. She reached up and touched his, which his could only assume by her reaction were also luminescent.

"You did it," she said with quiet pride. "You channeled your quintessence."

He nodded, his face warm, feeling rather exposed, but not wanting to let go of the Altean goddess in his arms.

"You seem much calmer, now," she started, as she leaned back slightly to look at him more directly. "Perhaps, I should let you rest?"

Sleep. The fatigue rounded on him like a sucker punch as he acknowledged his body's aches. But that meant letting go of this enrapturing embrace. The conflict shone in his eyes darting as if his thoughts were all around him in an attempt to quell the battle between his head, his heart and his body.

"I _am_ utterly exhausted, and I know I should sleep...I know _you_ should sleep," he managed, rationalizing aloud. "However..."

"However...?" the princess echoed him in a lighthearted taunt.

"After living centuries of self-imposed isolation, being alone has suddenly lost its appeal," he replied, glossing over his current vulnerability with light wit.

Allura was at a loss for words. She knew he was not implying anything more than her presence. Comfort in proximity. But, stars, if she gave in to her heart now, their eventual parting would be that much more difficult. Her hesitation translated to him as being off-put.

"Forgive me," he began, his brow furrowing, "I shouldn't have made such a suggestion. I-"

"I'll stay."

He stared at her, stunned into silence.

"I was merely weighing the consequences of my actions. For myself, for you, and even for the rest of my paladins," she explained. "Me...staying in your chambers, it... _insinuates_ things."

Lotor understood. Even if it wasn't what it _looked_ like, it was still a line of familiarity and intimacy that neither of them had crossed before. He nodded, acknowledging her concern immediately before taking her hand.

"I have never asked for such trust and closeness before, Allura, and neither have I given it," he said in blatant honesty. "Words can't truly describe the inner demons, but I know they are quieter when you are with me."

Allura, being the empath and healer that she was, could feel the warmth of his words wash over her as he turned and guided her by the hand toward what had once been her parents' bed. The metaphor was not lost on her as a parallel image flashed in her mind.

 _It's not like I'm going to do anything to disgrace my parents' memory...we're just sleeping. Together. Literally._

Despite her attempts to rationalize the situation, the telltale flutter in her chest knew this moment was pivotal for both of them. This was most definitely unlike any interpersonal relationship she'd ever experienced. And now, there was no turning back. They had let each other in to their hearts.

He let her go ahead to one side of the bed, and he went around to the hung her robe before pulling back her corner of the duvet. She slid underneath the covers, facing inward. She realized too late that a much broader expanse of lavender skin was staring her in the face. Her eyes blew wide in surprise, elliciting a sly chuckle from the emperor.

"Fear not, Allura, I am otherwised clothed," he said, amusement playing on his features. "The rich bedclothes here are surprisingly warm. The robe seemed... _excessive._ "

She swallowed thickly, her body thrumming with anticipation. At his words, she began to notice _just_ how warm the blankets made things, especially with another _incredibly_ warm body beside her.

Wordlessly, he took her hand and held it, resting in the space between them.

He exhaled slowly, his natural scent enveloping her in a haze of latent feelings that bubbled to the surface.

"I hope we can both rest better now," she said as sleep began to embrace her.

Lotor hummed, his eyes drooping closed. "I'm thinking so..." he mumbled as he stretched his outer arm over her, on top of the blankets.

Allura stretched slightly, arching inward in a way that inched her closer to to him, holding his hand just a tad tighter as she curled in closer until their foreheads touched with a whisper.

"Good night, Lotor. Sleep well..." she murmured.

But a response never came. He had been instantly lulled into slumber, his guard let down completely in the rarest display of trust she had ever experienced.

She reveled only a a moment before finally letting her body and mind relax as well, drifting off to join the Galran prince.

As he slept, he and Allura reunited in his dreams. He dreamt of Oriande, and all of the beautiful landscapes they could explore. They were hand in hand, discovering flora and fauna, when the scenery dropped out from under them and they were suddenly in the dark vortex of the astral plane.

He looked to her. _What is this place?_ He asked, his voice echoing between them.

She looked around, recognizing it from her experience as a Voltron paladin. _I believe this is the astral plane. where connected souls can commune whether awake, asleep, unconscious, alive or dead._

 _We are asleep, aren't we?_ He asked, an edge of concern in his thought.

 _Yes, I believe we are,_ she assured him.

 _So what does this mean, then...that we are here together right now?_ He asked, curiously regarding his surroundings.

 _I want to say that it means we are now connected on this sort of level...that no matter what happens to either of us, we will be able to reach out to each other._

Her explanation gave him comfort. And he gathered her into his embrace, holding her tightly.

Allura awoke to find herself pressed face first into Lotor's chest, his arms around her as they had been in her dream. She could feel the soft ruffling of his warm breath upon the crown of her head. She suddenly realized she had embraced him in return. It was so incredibly warm and comforting, that she could help the smile that stretched its way across her face.

She dared lift her chin a fraction, pressing her lips to his sternum. A rumble vibrated against her mouth and suddenly her kiss was being returned on the top of her head.

"I could sleep forever like this," Lotor's husky whisper washed over her. Her body was still heavy with fatigue as she hummed affirmatively.

"Not ready to wake up yet," she managed to say. "A bit longer...please."

The emperor chuckled softly.

"As you wish, my princess."


	5. Aubade & Allemande

Chapter 5: Aubade & Allemande

 _Aubade: A Morning Song_

 _Allemande: Popular Dance of the French Royal Court in the 17th and 18th centuries in Common Time, beginning with couples promenading the length of the room before entering intricate and multi-layered step sequences._

Waking hours came and went, unbeknownst to the two exhausted royals. While they slept the ship had left the Patrulian Zone, and the paladins had gotten started on their respective projects: Pidge and Hunk were recoding and repairing some of their security measures, Lance and Shiro were helping Coran prepare for a small contingent of the Blade to arrive within the quintant. Keith, Krolia and Kolivan would be coming to confer with Allura, Lotor and a select few heads of state from the Coalition-occupied quadrants, over recent events and how to proceed within the alliance of the Empire, the Coalition and the Blade.

It was well into the day and the paladins' stomachs told them it was time for lunch. After Hunk saved his work, he readied to head off to the kitchen. As the yellow paladin was about to leave the room, it hit him. He turned to Pidge.

"Are Allura and Lotor still _sleeping_?" He asked incredulously. "I mean...considering when we all turned in yesterday, it's been like 15 hours...err...vargas...whatever."

Pidge scrunched her face, brow furrowing pensively.

"Well she _did_ use a boat load of her power fighting Haggar," she replied. "I'd think that would take a lot out of her. And Lotor _did_ take quite a beating...To be honest, I'm surprised they didn't use the pods, with all of that good ol' Altean technology lying around the place."

She turned to her screen and called over to Coran.

"Hey, have Allura and Lotor shown their faces yet?"

Coran wiggled his mustache as he considered how late it was in the day.

"No, Number Five, I'm afraid not," he replied before glancing behind him.

Shiro looked up from his work station and nodded. "I'll go check on them," the black paladin offered. "Their rooms are in the same hall of the ship, right? Easy Enough."

"Let them know the Blade and Coalition heads will be arriving tonight, and we need them to be ready for counsel after dinner."

Lance remained quiet, he entertained the idea of waking Allura, but having to do the same for the Galran Emperor made him perish the thought. He grimaced and shrugged as Shiro glanced over at him. "Don't look at me, I'm not getting on Prince _Charming's_ bad side."

Three pairs of eyes rolled at his obvious lame excuse.

"Alright then, I'll just keep working until Hunk calls us for lunch," Pidge confirmed. "See you guys in a bit."

Screens went blank, and Shiro headed toward the door.

"I'll be right back."

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Allura woke up to a soft knock at the door. Her eyes fluttered open as she registered not only the sound of Shiro's voice gently calling to her, but also the warm body curled up to her back, holding her close with an arm draped over her side.

At first, panic began to creep up her throat, constricting her airways. But then she paused, realizing that is was _Shiro_. Out of everyone on the ship who could have discovered that she and Lotor had spent the night in his chambers together, he was the most likely to beunderstanding, and the most discreet.

She exhaled slowly and began to rise to a sitting position. Lotor awoke when his arm fell from her waist. His eyes flew open to find her putting her index finger to her lips before whispering,

"Shiro's at the door."

Allura threw back the blanket and climbed out of bed, leaving Lotor with a chilly void in the place of her soothing warmth. The drowsy prince sat up slowly, allowing the duvet to fall from his chest and shoulders. The drastic change of temperature caused him to shudder slightly before reaching for his robe.

At the other end of the room, the door hissed as it opened to the black paladin.

Shiro took in the sleepy look on the princess's face and instantly felt a little guilty.

"I'm sorry to wake you, Allura, but I got a little concerned when you didn't come to your door," he explained. His eyes caught movement in the periphery behind her. A glance, finding Lotor, _not_ in his armor for once, but in a night robe and slippers, looking only _slightly_ less groggy. He hid a twinge of surprise under a neutral expression. Quickly his gaze snapped back to a blushing Allura. He raised a brow at her but said nothing for a tick or two.

"Kolivan, Keith and Krolia will be here in approximately six vargas, with other members of the coalition shortly behind them. We figured you two would want enough time to prepare for counsel."

"Shiro, It's not-this-"

"There's no need to explain yourselves right now. As long we are all doing our jobs, that's all that matters," he looked calmly from Allura to Lotor and back. "I know you two have become... _close_. And I'm not opposed. But it's also not my business. If you two are working to better the universe, that's all that ultimately matters to me."

Lotor approached as Shiro had, in so many words, vowed his discretion.

"We appreciate your stance, Shiro," Lotor replied. "I assure you that neither the princess nor I are... _distracted_ from our duties. We're grateful to you all for allowing Allura and I to recuperate from such an exhausting experience."

Shiro nodded.

"We'll meet up with you shortly, Shiro," Allura added, redirecting the paladin's attention. "The bridge, as usual, I'd assume."

"Actually, Hunk is making lunch for everyone," Shiro informed them. "So come to the dining hall, instead."

"Alright," Allura affirmed, "we should only be a matter of doboshes."

With a final nod, Shiro headed back down the corridor toward the ship's center.

The princess took a step backward, away from the closing door, and accidentally into Lotor. She turned toward him, flustered and apologetic.

"Oh! Quiznak! I'm sorry, I didn't realize how clo-"

She was silenced by his warm hand on her cheek, his face closing in on hers to capture her lips in tender kiss. Allura, frozen only for a moment, found her body responding in kind, her mouth reciprocating the gentle pressure. They both exhaled softly through their noses; soughing a breath as the tension that had been mounting between them in the last few days melted away into a blissful relief. Following with a string of smaller kisses, he caught her bottom lip gently with a fang, releasing it slowly as he pulled away.

" _Stars..."_ The exclamation sighed through her rosy lips.

"Indeed..." Lotor whispered in return. "Before we leave this quiet moment, before we head out to be dutiful galactic royals and purveyors of peace," He began, chuckling at his own wry sense of the dramatic and making her smile, "I want you to know, Allura, that my feelings for you are true."

Her wide eyes glimmered at his declaration, despite it also echoing what she had already been feeling as well.

"They most assuredly run far deeper than mere political alliance-a sense of kinship and connection to another that is utterly foreign and new, yet... _exhilarating_...in a way I never could have imagined." He held her oceanic gaze, her eyes the color of the quintessent power she wielded. "And I would rather like to pursue that connection with you-if you feel similarly."

The warmth that filled her heart was inexplicable. She knew that _this_ was going to be a huge turning point, and mostly for the better. She felt... _giddy_ , as if he were some young Altean noble trying to pursue her when she was younger.

"Is Emperor Lotor _formally_ requesting to court me?" she said with a sudden feigned propriety, a hint of a giggle trailing her words.

Catching on to her tone, he lathered on his patented charm to an ironic excess. He took her right hand daintily out in front of him in his left and bowed deeply, his right hand over his heart as he did so.

"I, Lotor, Emperor of the Galra seek favor to court the Lady Allura, Crown Princess of Altea."

Allura smiled brightly, attempting restrain the urge to chuckle at his grandiose gesture. She curtsied deeply adding equal bravado in her response.

"The Lady Princess Allura of Altea grants you favor to court her, Emperor Lotor of the Galra."

His fangs peeked out from behind his smirk, thoroughly amused by the reciprocation of his humor. He kissed the hand his still held as she rose back to standing.

"Royal Formalities _are_ rather absurd, aren't they?" He said with a chuckle, before pulling her back into his arms. His eyes soft as he dipped in close to her face once again. "Before we have long hours of being proper and poised..."

His lips found hers, they breathed in each others scent, as lips melded and parted with soft, wet pops. Lotor intuited the telltale sign of growing desire roiling in his gut. If he didn't keep his head about him, he would easily drown in her. Lotor pulled away slowly after a dobosh or so. He smiled and gave her hand a squeeze.

"Princess, I shall rendezvous with you and the paladins in the dining hall. If you'll excuse me, I need to make myself _...presentable_ ," he turned toward the door and it slid open. He gestured politely as he ushered her out. "Milady."

A melodious laugh bubbled up from her chest as she exited. "Milord."

She headed down the hall, her fingers brushing her lips. The mingling of their quintessence, their growing indescribable connection, the last three days had ramped up everything she had inklings about for the last phoebe or two.

 _He GETS me. Even my sense of humor, he caught on right away. He's educated and has his heart generally in the right place. He may have been heading down a different path toward the same goal, but now our paths have converged...WE are converging. As Chosen Ones, the Ancients have guided our course...it feels...RIGHT._

She sighed as entered her own chambers and the door closed behind her. She sat a moment on her bed, her mice came scampering up to her, squeaking away. She entertained them a moment before responding.

"So many questions today! Yes...I _was_ with Lotor. Yes, I trust him...Are we _what?_ Married? Well, no...though, he just made the first step in royal tradition. Courtship..." _Why am I explaining this to the mice? I guess they at least deserve an explanation of last night since I left them all alone._ "But yes, a good courtship leads to betrothal and...marriage."

As the words left her mouth, everything became so very real. Lotor asked favor for courtship knowing full well that if they continued in the direction they were going-the unification of the Coalition and a structurally revamped Empire-it only made _sense_ that she should become his Empress.

 _Well, it's a good thing we like each other, this could have been a LOT worse._

More squeaking and the mice's enactment of their future nuptials pulled the princess from her pensive retreat.

"Not yet, my friends, there is much work to be done before any of that happens. Besides, the Emperor needs to continue to prove his trustworthiness. It has only been a few phoebes in total since he came to us as an enemy in truce...Yes, I know, but quintessence-and sharing of oneself through it-shows all. There are some places in his heart in which he needs to shed some darkness, yes, but he's let go of so much through his learning to trust me. The difference in him even the last phoebe or so since the Kral Zera-it's astounding."

The mice squeaked as she scooped them up in her arms and hugged them.

"You flatter me, my friends. Thank You. I promise I will properly introduce you soon."

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Not fifteen minutes later, she arrived to find Lotor sitting next to Shiro, saving the chair next to him for her, and Coran on the other side of her empty chair at the head of the table. Lance, Pidge and a vacant chair assumed to be for their talented chef and fellow paladin were opposite the others.

Hunk called for Pidge, who ran into the kitchen and grabbed some platters of food. Sandwiches, some kind of hors d'oeuvres-looking finger food. Hunk followed behind with a giant pot of some sort of soup or stew. Everything smelled amazing.

Lotor had only eaten with the group on a couple occasions, he usually kept to himself or was only accompanied by the princess. But the tantalizing aromas had the Emperor's mouth simply _watering._

"Hunk, is it?" Lotor asked as the yellow paladin sat himself.

"Uh, yep, that's me, your...emperor...ness," he fumbled.

"Lotor is just fine among us," he corrected. "There are no formalities with me here."

"Good to know," Lance chimed in with a smirk. Lotor raised a brow at him, but paid no further mind.

"Hunk, as I was about to say, I know I tend to be a bit...estranged from the group when I am visiting the ship. I have only partaken in one other meal you've made. But I wanted to give my compliments to the chef. You never disappoint."

The golden-eyed Galra nodded his respect and Hunk blushed.

"Well, then...glad you like it, Lotor. Bon Appetit." He smiled cheerily.

They were all happily and hungrily immersed in their lunch, when Lotor reached under the table and gave Allura's hand a squeeze. She looked up from her lunch to him. He nodded slightly toward her, then toward the rest of the table. She easily intuited what he was implying and gave a nod in return.

Lotor finished the last bit of what was on his plate, took a sip of water and cleared his throat. Allura, who had also finished, placed her napkin in her lap.

"My friends, there is a matter I would like to discuss with you all...as Allura's closest kin and confidantes," he began. Everyone finished chewing and stopped eating for a moment, all eyes trained on the Galtean. "I felt it was only right to let you know that I have formally sought favor of courtship with the Princess."

Coran dropped his fork. Lance choked on himself. Pidge simply stared agape. Hunk had stars in his eyes, clasping his hands in excitement. Shiro was the least bit surprised, and merely nodded his consent.

Allura piped up, sensing the mixed emotions.

"Listen. As you _may_ have noticed, Lotor and I have quite a bit of common ground _...More_ than just our political alignments. We have gotten to know each other and grown closer over the last phoebe or so as we have worked intensely together. Courtship is simply the _first_ step of the grand formalities among the royal class."

Coran collected himself.

"Princess," he interjected. "You know what happens when royal courtships go public. The pressure towards or _against_ marriage is _exponential_. This isn't exactly the best timing."

"Wait...you're gonna _marry_ Lotor?" Lance reacted with grand gesture.

"Is there a problem, Lance?" Allura shot back across the table with a look that said, _Don't you DARE be a killjoy._

He sat back in seat and huffed a "No."

"As I was saying, mostly to you, paladins-because Coran already understands how this works, is that Courtship is the first phase. If the courtship is deemed successful by both/all parties involved, the Betrothal happens and Marriage follows in a carefully planned yet _expedient_ timeframe. However, with Lotor and I being the highest profile royalty in the Universe at the moment, we would like to keep our courtship private for the time being."

Lotor chimed in to add to the Princess's statement. "We are in the middle of a conflict, and our personal relationship is not as important to the Universe as our political relationship. My people generally view my Altean blood as weakness, and I am still proving otherwise-never mind making an Altean their Empress. On the other hand, Most of the Coalition is weary of the Empire after millennia of Zarkon's tyranny. They are justifiably leery of his son. Allura could be suddenly seen as a traitor to the Coalition. This is why our personal feelings for one another cannot be freely advertised, and focus must remain on matters at hand. Once certain objectives are achieved for our citizens and their individual planets, and we've adjusted existing imperial policies and implemented new ones, we will reassess the political climate. Then, and _only_ then, will we consider going public and make our alignment complete and undeniable through our union."

Coran exhaled. "Well, _that's_ a relief. At least you two are still keeping your wits about you. Waiting is the best course of action."

"So, lemme get this straight," Pidge chimed in, "You guys are essentially _dating_ , but keeping it on the DL because a lot of people are still only warming up to the idea of working with the other side. If you went public, both sides would freak out, so, you're going to keep working until everything starts falling into place and people are practically BEGGING for you two to marry, and then-BAM! Empress Allura."

"I'm not quite sure what a 'DL' is...but yes. That's the idea," Allura confirmed.

"Okay, then, it's settled. We are to keep quiet about it when anyone that is not one of us seven is present. For the sake of our mission," Shiro stated with finality.

There were nods and hums of agreement all around.

"What about Keith?" Hunk pointed out. "He's still one of us."

Allura shook her head. "Keith, although our friend, is a Blade, and not a current paladin. But he and Kolivan would be next in line to know. Being a Galran operation, yet aligned with the Coalition and Voltron, I'd assume they would be the first segment of the Alliance to be informed. And it _does_ occur to me that they would be the best group to act as undercover guard for both Lotor and I, if the need arose."

Hunk shrugged and looked at Pidge and Lance. "That's a smart move."

"Well, speaking of the Blade," Shiro began, "they will be here in only a matter of hours. We all still have work to do."

As everyone began clearing from the table, Lotor exhaled, glad that intense conversation was over. Allura rested a hand on his shoulder.

"That went better than expected," she said with a sigh.

"Yet, there remains some obvious unspoken apprehensions among your paladins, and your adviser," he said dryly as he stood. "I still have much to prove, by their standards." He turned to her and took her hand. "This is only the beginning for you and I, Allura. We have much to accomplish both for the Universe and vicariously, ourselves."

"You are absolutely right," she agreed. "Let's get down to the library first, and then head back to the bridge, if necessary, to do some cross-referencing."

"As you wish, Princess," he said, gesturing for her to lead the way. Allura exited into the hallway ahead of him and paused. He came up beside her and she reached for his hand. They interlaced their fingers as they headed down the corridor toward the Library. Neither of them noticed a pair of eyes peering from a doorway behind them. As the couple went out of earshot, Lance turned to Pidge and Hunk back in the kitchen.

"They're _holding hands_ , guys! This is horrible!" the blue paladin flailed. "I swear he's gonna hurt her somehow, guys. It's a gut feeling I've got."

Hunk frowned and Pidge winced. Hunk pat Lance on the shoulder.

"Listen, bud, we all know you like the Princess...like, _like-_ like, but you can't let that get the way of sound judgement, man," Hunk advised sympathetically. "I mean, the guy may be the son of Zarkon, but he hasn't done a single thing that we all couldn't stand behind. He's actually done nothing but _help_ the cause. A _lot_."

"I don't know what it's like to have those kinds of feelings for someone, Lance," Pidge piped up. "Never mind to someone who doesn't like me back...but as her _friend_ , the best thing you can do is support her."

Lance's pout shifted into a grimace. "I know you're right...I just..."

"C'mere, bud! Reel it in-Pidge, you, too!" Hunk pulled the other two into a group hug. "I know I'm an idealist and overly optimistic, but Lotor went from super-distant-shady-son-of-the-Galran-Tyrant, and warmed into up-front-and-honest-even-kinda-approachable-now-Emperor."

Lance laughed a little. "You're just feeling that way because he complimented your cooking."

Hunk shook his head. "I'm pretty sure that's all because of Allura."

Pidge shrugged and nodded, accepting its probability. She looked at Lance.

" _We_ all know how amazing Allura is. We've watched her grow as a person all this time. Now she's this force to be reckoned with." She reached out and held his upper arm for a moment. "Lance, if it's possible for _you_ to admire her and be attracted to all of the awesome things that she is, why wouldn't it be possible for Lotor to notice those things, too?"

"It sounds so cliché when you put it that way," Lance replied with a snort. "Dark, Misguided anti-hero has icy heart melted by magnificent magical babe..."

"It _does_ happen, Lance. Some people meet that one person that completely transforms their world..." Hunk interjected with flair.

"Allura's _that_ girl, for sure," Lance admitted. "It just sucks, because in reality, Lotor is actually her equal. He's the ruler of much of the known universe, for cryin' out loud. And I'm just a boy from Cuba, a teammate."

"It doesn't mean she doesn't care about you, though," Pidge replied.

"It's not the same," he shot back.

Hunk halted the pity party in its tracks.

"Listen, we all care about Allura," he stated. "We all want her to successfully be one of the saviors of the Universe, and continue to live on in the happiness she deserves. If that's with Lotor, so be it. If he does anything to hurt her, we have her back and we kick his butt into another reality."

They all chuckled together.

Lance sighed and shook his head free of the grey cloud, standing tall once again.

"Thanks, guys, you're the best."

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

In the Library, Lotor sneezed.

"Sorry, we haven't exactly been good about dusting in the last ten thousand years," Allura apologized lightheartedly. "Cryo-sleep, Voltron, saving the Universe...it's all sort of gotten in the way of housekeeping."

"It's quite alright," he replied giving her a side glance and a quirk of his lips. His fang peeked out from under his top lip, before he returned to the dusty ancient text he had opened.

Allura couldn't help but find it utterly adorable. Instantly, the image and sensation of those fangs on her neck flashed in her mind's eye.

Shaking herself from her straying thoughts, she returned to scouring the shelves. They were refreshing themselves on the history and traditions of some of the major civilizations within the Coalition. The Olkari, The Balmerans, The Taujeerans, the Puigians, first and foremost. They hoped to garner knowledge as to how approach the assembly of representatives within the empire. They both felt the more they knew about the peoples they were working with, the better they could serve their needs. After about an hour of comfortable silence, engrossed in their scouring of pages upon pages, Lotor looked up from his book to the princess.

"Allura, I had a thought..." he began. "The Balmeran are very sensitive to the use of quintessence, much like the Alteans. As we work to shift away from over mining planets of quintessence, and find a way to possibly harness the rift, couldn't the Balmerans aid in keeping planetary quintessence levels in check? An overseeing type of organization, that can make routine visits to our stations and ensure the health of the individual planets."

"That's a great idea," she replied, her eyes smiling. "Rather than demanding physical labor of such a gentle-hearted race, you can couple them with the Olkari and their technology and form a Planetary Health division."

"It may temporarily lessen the influx of reserve energy, but the fewer peoples and factions we are at war with, the less energy we are forced to expend," Lotor reasoned. "Although Sendak remains our biggest adversary, I know he is still licking his wounds from the Kral Zera. It won't be long, though, until we will need to engage him and his allied forces."

"It will be a lot on our plates, but I think we'll be able to manage organizing an affront on Sendak while still planning for the aftermath and reconstruction of the Empire," Allura thought aloud.

"That's why we have each other, is it not?" Lotor replied, matter-of-fact, with an assuring hand covering hers.

Allura looked from his hand to those gold-blue eyes trained on her. They flickered with something warm. Her heart fluttered under that gorgeous gaze. She nodded, matching his expression.

Within a few vargas, the two of them had run searches on major exports and cultural strengths of each of the Coalition planets, comparing alongside current cooperative Galran territories which supported Lotor as emperor. The brainstorming duo were able to come up with an outline that would open up trade between the various peoples, supplying each other with their various needs. In addition to outlining the installation of Planetary Health Research and Assessment Division, they had accomplished quite a feat in only five vargas.

All screens were shut down, notes and files carefully saved for their presentation to the counsel, and they both exhaled a sigh of relief.

"I must say, Princess," Lotor started with a satisfied smile, "that we make a great team."

Allura returned the smile, alight with a rosy blush on her cheeks. "Like you said earlier, this is only the beginning."

"Indeed," he replied, taking her hand and kissing it gently. "But we were able to get an incredible start in mere vargas by simply putting our heads together. Think of what else we can do as we grow our collective, and as more civilizations understand the sincerity of our intentions."

" _Our_ collective...our... _intentions..._ " Allura let the numerous insinuations of those words hang in the air as she repeated them softly. She looked at him, pleasantly overwhelmed by the idea.

It was the Emperor's turn to grow a little warm in the face. "Even now, as the leaders of the two tenuously uniting factions...but, yes...the rest goes without saying."

She paused in consideration of his assurance, then hummed in agreement, shifting their hands so that she held his in turn. He then guided her in gallant gesture to her feet and they left the library.

With less than a varga to spare, they returned to their respective quarters to prepare for the counsel's arrival.

Allura chose to wear her formal attire, that had been freshly washed and pressed after the last time she wore it. She pulled it out and examined it.

 _I'm surprised how well this gown has kept. It's been over a deca-phoebe since I wore it last._

She held it up against her body in front of the mirror.

 _Lotor's never seen me in formal Altean attire...I wonder what he'll..._

She laughed softly to herself before peeling herself away from her reflection to get dressed. When she asked the mice, they advised her to wear her hair down. So after a bit of brushing and primping, she smiled at herself in the full length mirror one last time before turning toward the door. Heading down the hall, she was tempted to knock on Lotor's chamber door, but decided that she shouldn't interrupt him if he were still resting. Instead, she headed to the Bridge.

As she approached the door to the bridge, she heard active conversation coming from within. As the doors hissed open, she found that the Blades had arrived. Kolivan, Keith and the woman she assumed to be the aforementioned Krolia. All the other paladins were present, as well.

And her eyes then found Lotor's.

He was mid conversation with Kolivan when she entered the room. Doing a double-take, his breath caught as their eyes locked.

 _"Simply Radiant,_ " he whispered under his breath. Kolivan's quirked brow went unnoticed by the enamored emperor.

She watched as his gaping stare quickly fixed themselves back into a more neutral and trained expression, before easing into a hint of that fang-bearing smirk.

"Fashionably Late, Princess," he tossed at her haughtily, playfulness lacing his tone.

Not to be outdone, she retorted swiftly.

"Well worth it, _Emperor,"_ she shot back facetiously, side-eyeing him. His smile, smugly tight-lipped with subtle amusement. Turning her attention, she nodded to Shiro, who stood chatting with Keith and Krolia, before greeting their guests.

"Welcome, Krolia, Kolivan..." she diverted, turning her smile to at them, before turning to Keith. "Welcome Back, Keith, it's good to see you again."

He gave her a warm smile in return. "Same here, Princess."

The former red paladin called for his colleagues' attention.

"Hey, everyone, now that you're all here, I want to officially introduce you all to my mother, Krolia."

Jaws dropped.

"Wait, what? That's nuts!" Lance exclaimed.

"That's so cool!" Pidge cried.

"It's an honor to meet you," Shiro replied with warm welcome

"How'd you two meet?" Hunk asked incredulously.

"She was on a mission and I was meant to get her out of a dangerous operation," he explained.

"That blade of his was once mine," Krolia said with a sentimental smile. "I left it with his father, as a piece of his heritage."

"And it eventually led me back you," Keith added. Krolia nodded.

Allura was flabbergasted. She could very much see the facial resemblance of the Galra woman and her son.

Lotor approached Keith, who eyed him with caution.

"Keith, was it? From what I understand, you were the Black Lion's paladin when we first unofficially _...'met.'_ I've been told that you are an outstanding pilot. And Kolivan, here, tells me you're his best new recruit," Lotor held his hand out to Keith. "Your reputation precedes you."

Keith had no idea how to process Lotor's seemingly genuine compliments.

"Uhm, Thank you...?" he replied hesitantly, and shaking the proffered hand.

"That _is_ your custom, yes?" Lotor asked rhetorically, glancing down at their handshake. "I've come to learn a few things about your planet. Your fellow paladins are an interesting bunch."

Keith gave a lop-sided smile, looking around at his former teammates.

"That they are..."

Lotor cleared his throat.

"It's also nice to know I'm not only half-Galran in the room," he added offhandedly.

Keith looked at him curiously.

"My mother was an Altean...Zarkon's wife, Honerva."

Keith's eyes went wide, recalling the story he had been told by Coran about the beginnings of the original Voltron Alliance. He realized that he had to be around 10,000 years old. But he was _half Altean_.

 _That must be a connecting point for her and Lotor._ _I can get how she's come to accept him._

Keith relaxed a little, his instincts telling him that the Galran emperor was being sincere; which simultaneously made him at ease and conflicted by his past misgivings about the man he had long considered an enemy.

Lotor saw the hesitance in his demeanor, understanding he had no clue what the rest of them had been through in the last phoebe or two.

"I know your first impression of me does not equate to what is currently coming to fruition," Lotor admitted. "We will be having a discussion about all that with the counsel, and I hope to address all of your concerns."

"At the same time, you came onto the scene at Naxela and inadvertently saved my life by destroying Haggar's weapon," Keith countered.

"I am glad you did not waste your life in such a futile attempt, Keith," Lotor replied. "It is quite obvious that you have much more to accomplish with your talents."

Keith nodded his thanks.

The din of conversation continued until the various ships carrying the coalition planetary counsel began to arrive.

After much socializing and graceful greetings, everything moved to the dining hall.

Allura and Lotor sat in the central two seats on one long side of the table, flanked by Coran and Shiro, respectively. To Shiro's right, sat Keith, Kolivan and Krolia and to Coran's Left; Pidge, Hunk and Lance. The other ten seats were occupied by various representatives of the coalition.

Refreshments were poured all around, as dinner would follow their meeting. Once all of the members of counsel were settled, Lotor addressed the room.

"Members of Counsel, I am humbled to meet with you all today, and most of you, for the first time. I come before you knowing that I am viewed simply as the son of a tyrant," he began soberly as his eyes swept over the numerous cautioned faces. "My wish for this meeting is for one thing, and one thing alone: For you to understand that I am absolutely _not_ my father. Quite the opposite, in fact..."

He felt the desire to rant about how much he despised the late dictator, and all of the horrendous abuse he had endured, and all of the atrocities he had powerlessly witnessed at the hands of his parents. But he swallowed it down, like the bile rising in his throat at the thought of it all. He meant to keep his speech positive-focused on the good he could accomplish and all that he wanted to _undo_ from the last ten millennia of Zarkon's reign.

"With that, there is one thing I feel I must be open about, something important that may shed light on my motivations as current Emperor," Lotor added in earnest. He felt a warm hand take his under the table, giving it a squeeze. Without giving the secret gesture away, he kept his eyes trained on those he was addressing as he squeezed back gently in response, the comfort giving him added strength and resolve. "My father may have been Zarkon, but my _mother_ was the famed Altean alchemist, Honerva."

"You're...half Altean, Emperor Lotor?" Ryner, the elder Olkari asked in disbelief as the others wore similar confounded expressions, echoing her surprise.

"Indeed, and after years of suffering through the atrocities of a Galran upbringing, and consequently exiled-twice-for not complying with my late father's barbaric demands, I began to research and revere my Altean roots. It drove me to seek ways to undo as much of the status quo as I could. So, I come before you all now to share with you the things that I have attempted to-and still wish to- accomplish for the betterment of the universe. With the Princess and I united in our goals, bringing all of our resources and people together, we will finally be able to achieve peace."

Finally, the mood in the room relaxed.

Allura started in on her and Lotor's ideas on trade increase between currently allied Galra territories and freed coalition regions. With the various representatives chiming in on the needs and strengths of their respective planets and economies, it was easy for them to note the proper initial connections that needed to be made in each system. Trade commissions were set to be formed and would be overseen by both importers and exporters. Fair trade was paramount.

When it came time to move onto the subject of planet health, Allura projected an image to the Balmera from the holographic simulator set up in the center of the table.

"For millennia, Zarkon's empire mercilessly stripped planets and Balmera of their quintessence. We wish to stop this practice. I have felt the cries of the Balmera and other dying planets, and helped heal them. It is necessary for the survival of our universe that we slowly, but surely, find another way to harvest quintessence."

"That's a wonderful idea, Princess. You are a blessing!" Rax, Shay's brother and Balmeran liaison, praised.

"Actually, this is a concept Emperor Lotor has been working on for centuries," Allura rebuffed. "It was not my idea in origin, but we have come up with a wonderful solution to begin our progress toward healthier planets."

"Indeed," Lotor chimed. "After watching so many planets needlessly destroyed at the hands of my father, I decided that I would take matters into my own hands and begin researching ways to acquire quintessence without compromising planets or their people. In the meantime, our immediate plan of action is to reduce quintessence and crystal harvesting considerably and implement a new allied division to oversee this."

Lotor and Allura shared a smile before she gestured toward the holographic imagery.

"The Planetary Health Research and Assessment Division!"

After detailed explanation of the tasks and goals of this corps, the Olkari and Balmerans seemed happy to get on board. Others also seemed interested to get involved in some way or another.

After finally touching on the imminent return of their final threat, Sendak, and wishing for all of the coalition to ready their best pilots and fighters, they closed their counsel meeting and ate dinner. Dinner was lively and excited. There were many questions for the handsome royal. Allura watched in awe of how he had captured the whole room, and for once he didn't put up his old walls. He held his usual airy, dignified demeanor, yet he seemed more grounded- _connected-_ to himself and to everyone around him. His energy exuded command and respect but in a wonderfully enigmatic way.

 _This new energy from Lotor, he must be exhilarated to experience such positive reactions from others,_ Allura noted.

"So, if your mother was an Alchemist, do you also have the same capabilities as her and Princess Allura?" The Puigian chief asked eagerly.

Lotor paused a moment, clearing his throat. Allura could sense his sudden nerves, even though his face didn't betray his internal search for a heavily simplified explanation.

"Let's just say that I have much to learn. I know a lot in theory, after studying my mother's research. But, I am merely a fledgling in its application. I will be training with Princess Allura, when time allows," Lotor replied gracefully, feeling warmth betraying his recollection of the last few days. "I am grateful for her... _tutelage_."

The nuance is not lost on Allura, nor her Paladins, but Lotor adept phrasing has kept the counsel members off the scent of any deeper meaning. Although Krolia looked to Kolivan and Keith with a curious eye and they exchanged glances amongst each other undetected by the rest of the room.

"Well, it sounds like there is much potential in your plans, Your Highness," the Puigian replied with a smile. "I will admit that our first meeting had me cautioned about this alliance, but you and Allura seem like you can and will accomplish much for our peoples."

"A Toast," the Taujeeran interjected, "to a powerful, and peaceful Alliance: Allura, Voltron, the Coalition, and the new Galra Empire!"

There was a clatter of clinking and cheering that echoed through the hall.

"A final thought, my new friends," Lotor announced, bringing the room back to rapt attention. "As our plans proceed, and more Galrans accept our new Alliance, I wish to consider changing the name-as I already have the banners-of our new universal identity."

More applause and cheers ensued. More spirits were imbibed and shortly after all the formalities concluded, many a sated guest sought out their accommodations for the evening.

The three Blades and the paladins still lingered.

Kolivan cleared his throat.

"Your Highness, for the first time in my long life, I can finally rest assured that the Galra Empire is heading in the right direction," he stated reverently. "I do hope that our proud people will also come to understand what you wish to accomplish, and continue to support you. You have the Blade of Marmora on your side." He saluted. "Vrepit Sa."

Lotor extended his hand, and Kolivan stared a moment.

"It is an Earth custom, that I feel signifies the uniting of people in commonality far more than reinforcing archaic mentalities through hierarchy, Kolivan."

Krolia chuckled at her Captain. "Just take his hand firmly and shake it-a little-up and down."

The eldest Blade did so and realized the significance of joining hands with the Emperor, not only in his power and station, but part of a team-the joining of forces.

The trio left first, Keith showing them to their sleeping quarters. With so many guests aboard, they were all staying in Keith's old room, with extra bedding accounted for.

As they headed down the corridor, Krolia whispered to her son and her captain.

"Guys, call me crazy but I got a hint of... _chemistry_? Between Lotor and Allura, I mean."

Both made amused hums of agreement.

"You're not crazy, Mom," Keith assured. "He seems _different_. He's _friendly_...it's weird."

The door to Keith's room slid open and they entered, the door shutting before continuing their sensitive conversation.

"His reactions to the princess were definitely of a man who is... _besotted,"_ Kolivan added with hesitance. "I think if his connection to his Altean roots and to Allura has made him a viable ally, then I gladly accept any course of events-as long as they benefit the people."

"Yes, but the Galra as a people, what would they think of their already half-Galran Emperor taking an Altean Empress-if that _is_ what you are insinuating?" Krolia pondered. "I am hoping by the time that becomes a possibility, that the Galra have come to terms with the Empire no longer being a singularity, but rather, a collective."

"I guess we'll just have to wait and see..." Keith said before flopping down on his old bed.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

In a separate, segregated hallway, Lotor and Allura headed towards the royal quarters, hand in hand. They had been able to maintain their dignified composure amidst the whirlwind of politics and personal questions. They both felt their secret courtship was safe thus far and finally, in the privacy of their own secluded corner of the ship, the two could be at ease.

The pair stood in the center of the split corridor that led to their opposite chambers. Turning to take the others' hands, they partook in a moment of reverence. No words could be exchanged, as Lotor and Allura connected their gazes and they simply _knew_ that they had been successful with their first step in the plans toward alliance.

Lotor took her hand, pressing it to his lips ever so tenderly.

"My princess, I ask of you your company, so that we may not sleep alone tonight," he requested with buttery warmth.

Allura smiled, grasping his hand tighter.

"I know our evenings together will be fewer and far between for some time after this," she replied softly. "I would quite enjoy your company, Lotor." She winked before nudging him toward his chamber door. "Go, get comfortable, and I'll be waiting."


End file.
